Air drier



May 12, 1942' A. A. BUSCH 1 2,283,043

` AIR DRIER Fi-led Aug. 7, 1940 INVETOR. l /7 @Hf/795060# ATTORNEYS Patented May 12, 1942 E I j Vo Fries AIR DRIER,V

Albert A. Busch, Detroit, Mich., assigner to Sanozone Corporation,

poration of Michigan Detroit, Mich., a cor- Application August 7, 1940, Serial No. 351,681

(Cl. 18S- 4) V5 Claims.

This invention relates to an air drier, that is, a device for dehumidifying air or any other gas.

Air driers of the type herein described are not broadly new, see the copending application of Clifford H. Kain and Richard J. Schaefer, Serial No. 350,684, led August 3, 1940. x

The object of this invention is to improve on air driers of the adsorptive type heretofore known. Improvement consists in simplifying the construction and thereby appreciably reducing the manufacturing cost of this type of air drier. This simplication in the construction of the air drier also results in a more eicient drying or dehumidication of lthe gas passing through the drier and a more eilicientreactivating of the adsorption material.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal cross section `through the drier.

Fig. 2 is a section along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

'This drier is -primarily adapted for drying air preparatory to passing the same through an ozone generating cell'which changes the oxygen of the air into ozone.

Referring more particularly vto the drawing` it Will be seen that the drier comprises a housing I preferably of sheet metal, such as steel, in the form of a cylinder open at each end. Each end of the cylinder is provided with an air filter in the forms of a pair of opposed wire gauze members 2 and 3. The wire gauze members 2 and 3 extend completely across the cylindrical housing I and have the space therebetween lled with a suitable air filtering or cleaning material such as glass or rock wool 4. 'I'he wire screen members 2 and 3 are xed to the casing I.

A conduit 5 is provided for gas and air. This conduit extends along the inside face of the housing I and is soldered or otherwise aixed thereto as at 6. The lower end of the line 5 turns inwardly as at 'I so that the inlet opening 8 for the air or'other gas is positioned approximately in the middle of the housing I. A tubular foraminated or screened member 9, provided with a closed end I 0 and an open end II is placed over the end of the line 'I and secured thereto. Member 9 has its closed end I0 spaced from the inlet 8 of the line 5 to form an open area I2. As shown in Fig. 1 the member 9 extends throughout a relatively small portion of the latnected with a source of electricity droxide gel. Silica Gel is the trade name Vfor a manufactured material obtained by the'reac'tion of asoluble silicate, such as water glass, and an acid, such as sulphuric; the two components s being of definite concentrations and mixed in a definite ratio. The hydrosol of silicio acid thus formed sets in a denite time to a hydrogel (a jelly-like mass) whichv then is washed vfree from excess acid and salts. vThe washed hydrogel is finally dried, sized and heat treated at a defl-A nite temperature. Silica Gel is a hard, glassy material, similar in appearance to clear quartz Vgranules which are light and highly porous. The

internal structure of Silica Gel consists of a myriad of thin-walled capillaries. Although the other adsorbent materials mentioned above can Aloe used, the preferred adsorbent material is this thickness to interfere with the transfer of heatv from fthe resistance element I4, through the housing I to the adsorptionmaterial I3. If desired, the insulating material I5' is a thinV sheet of asbestos wound around housing I. The heat# ing element I'4 Vpreferably takes the form of'a resistance wire wound around the casing I and insulating sheet I5 to form a helical coil. The ends of the coil are connected to suitable electrical conducting leads I6 and I'I which are con- (not shown). Line I6 is provided with a switch I8.

Since air line 5, I is a small tube and since the shield 9 is likewise a small tubular wire gauze member, these elements present practically no resistance to the circulation or flow of air through the housing I, Thus, when switch I8 is closed to energize the heating element I4, heat is conducted or transferred through the housing I to the Silica Gel and the thermal action sets up hot air currents which flow freely through the adsorbent material I3 to dry or reactivate the same.

Since the inlet 8, situated in the center of the adsorption material I4, the resistance to ow of air from each end of the casing I is the same. Therefore approximately the same quantities of air are drawn through each end of the housing I, dehumidied by the hydrogel I3 preparatory to ilowing through line `I,Y 5 to the ozone generating cell or other place of use.

I claim:

1. A drier for dehumidifying gas comprising a housing open at each end through which the gas passes preparatory to being dehumidifled, a. conduit for conducting the gas out of the housing having a relatively small inlet approximately centrally of the housing and extending partially across said housing, reactivatable vapor adsorbent material surrounding the inlet in approximately equal amounts between the inlet and the open ends of the housing, said conduit inlet being substantially completely surrounded in all directions by said vapor adsorbent material and an electrical resistance heating element mounted on the outside of the housing for heating the housing and adsorbent material to set up a ow of gas through the housing to reactivate the adsorbent material.

2. A drier for dehumidifying gas comprising a housing open at each end through which the gas passes preparatory to being dehumidied, means for conducting the gas out of the housing including a relatively small inlet positioned approximately at the midpoint of the housing and extending across a relatively small portion of the lateral area of said housing, reactivatable vapor adsorbent material surrounding the inlet in approximately equal amounts between the inlet and the open ends of the housing, said inlet being substantially completely surrounded in all directions by said vapor adsorbent material, and an electrical resistance heating element in the form of a wire wound around the outside of the housing for heating the housing and adsorbent material to set up a ow of Vhot gas through the housing to reactivate the adsorbent material.

3. A drier for dehumi'difying gas comprising a housing open at each end through which the gas passes preparatory to being dehumidied, a conduit for withdrawing gas from thehousing extending within the housing to approximately the midpoint of said housing, said conduit having a small inlet positionedapproximately at said midpoint of the housing,reactivatable vapor adsorbent material surrounding the inlet in substantially all directions and being in Aapproximately equal amounts between the inlet and the open ends of the housing, and an electrical resistance heating element helically wound on the outside Vof the housingfor heating the housing and adsorbent material to set up a flow of gas through the housing to reactivate the adsorbent material.

i 4. A drier for dehumidifying gas comprising a housing open at each end through which the gas passes preparatory to being dehumidied, a conduit for withdrawing gas from the housing extending to approximately the midpoint of said housing, said conduit having an inlet end positioned approximately at said midpoint of the housing, a small foraminated hollow element positioned over the end of the conduit permitting gas to enter the conduit and barring the entry of the adsorbent material, reactivatable vapor adsorbent material substantially completely surrounding the foraminated element in all directions and in approximately equal amounts between the inlet and the open ends of the housing, and, an electrical resistance heating element mounted on the outside of the housing for heating the housing and adsorbent material to set up a flow of gas through the housing to reactivate the adsorbent material.

5. A drier for dehumidifying gas comprising a housing open at each end through which the gas passes preparatory to being dehumidied, a conduit for withdrawing gas from the housing extending to approximately the midpoint of said housing, said conduit having an inl-et end positioned approximately centrally 'of the housing, .a tubular screen extending laterally of said housing through a relatively small portion of the lateral area of saidhousing, said tubular screen having one end closed and the other end open, said screen having its open end positioned hover the inlet end of the said conduit with its closed end spaced from the inlet end of the conduit whereby the gas is free to enter the inletV end of the conduit and the adsorbent material Ais pre'- vented from entering the conduit, reac'tivat'able vapor adsorbent material surrounding' the 'inlet in approximately equal amounts between the inlet and the open ends of the housing, said tubular screen being substantially `embedded 1 in i said Vapor adsorbent material and an electrical resistance heating element mounted on the outside. of the housing for heating the .housing and vadso'rlfient material to set up a ow of 'gas through the housing to reactivate the adsorbent material.

- vALBERT A. BUSCH. 

